Spring seat



Oct. 17, 1933. H FROM 1,931,407

SPRING SEAT Filed March 6, l93 l 2 Sheets-Sheet l;

ATTORNEYS H. FROM-M SPRING SEAT Oct. 17, 1933.

2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed March 6, 1931 Patented a. 17, 1933 UNITED STATES.

PATENT oFF1c5 ,fi

The object of this, my present invention, is

the provision of a seat especially designed for use in connection with railway and street cars, motor busses, automobiles, trucks, motorboats, airplanes, tractors, and the-like and which may likewise be used as household chair or wherever seats are used. The construction of said seat is such that the occupant or occupants thereof will experience a relief from the instability, vibration and shock common to the spring cushion seats now in universal use. A further object of this invention is an arrangement wherewith the movements of the seat bottom and the back of the seat are brought into a state of perfect cooperation, and the back resistance is adjusted automatically to the weight of the seat occupant.

A further object is to simplify and improve the shock absorbing seats upon which I have been granted U. S. Letters Patent No. 1,753,047 on Apr. 1, 1930.

To the attainment of the foregoing the invention consists in the improvement hereinafter described and definitely claimed.-

In the drawings: I r

Figure 1 is a side elevation of the improvement.

Figure 2 is a top plan view thereof.

Figure 3 is a front view thereof. Figure .4 is a detail enlarged sectional approximately on the line 4-4 of Figure 1.

Preferably the main or body frame and the frame for the seat cushion and back cushion of view the chair are wholly constructed of metal and.

in the main are also preferably constructed of tubes. The main or body frame comprises a substantially rectangular lower or bottom portion 1, the corners of which being provided with short depending pipes that afford the same with legs 2, The front legs 2 are of a greater length than the rear legs so that the bottom frame is supported at an angle. The tubular legs have screwed therein the shanks of headed bolts 3 and these bolts have the outer faces of the heads rounded, the said bolts permitting the vertical adjustment of the supporting frame on the surface on which the said frame is arranged. There is attached to the front corners of the bottom frame 1 tubes 4 which extend a suitable distance above the main frame and are bent to afford right angularly arranged longitudinally extending portions 5 that aii'ord the arm rests for the seat. The arm rests have their rear ends secured by brazing; riveting or by coupling to the side tubes 6 for the back 7 of the supporting frame. The sides 6 of the back are preferably bent at outward angles from their connection with the arms 5 and the said side members have their upper ends connected, the lower ends of the said sides being rounded outwardly from the coupling which connects the sides with the rear transverse tube of the bottom 1. The couplings which connect the front legs 2 to the sides of the bottom or supporting frame and the depending portions 4 of the arms 5 to-the outer corners of the said frame also connect the front tube to the remainder of the bottom frame.

Arranged centrally with respect to the base or bottom of the supporting frame there is a substantially square or rectangular member which affords a shock absorbing ballast as will hereinafter be apparent. The member preferably comprises upper and lower metal plates 8 and 9, respectively, the said plates being held in spaced relation by longitudinal tubes 10 arranged at the edges therebetween and secured thereto by bolts or analogous means. The tubes 10 are preferably filled with lead, as indicated in Figure 4, by the numeral 11, and these tubes have passed through openings adjacent to their ends rods'12, respectively. The portions of the rods received between the plates 8 and 9 have secured thereto the inner or confronting ends of coiled extension springs 13, respectively, the outer ends of the said springs being secured, to the front and rear transverse tubes of the base or bottom 1 of the supporting frame Outward of the springsv 13 the rods 12 have fixed thereto the inner ends of coiled extension springs 14 and the outer ends of the said springs 14 are securedto the front 1 or rear transverse members of the bottom of the supporting frame.

The tubes 10 have arranged therearound the inner eye ends of coiled extension springs 15, and the outer ends of the said springs are preferably arranged around sleeves 16 on the side members of the base of thesupporting'frame, the said rods. or portions of the springs 15 having their ends offset to provide the same with inwardly directed fingers 17 and the sleeves 16 being provided with one or more apertures 18 for the fingers 17. Preferably all of the springs are connected to the supporting frame members and supporting frames in this manner.

The rods 12 are rigidly secured to the tubes 10 and, as stated, the tubes 10 are fixedly secured between the plates 8 and 9, and the rods 12 adjacent to their outer'ends have fixed thereon outwardly inclined plates in the nature of comparatively short links 19. The links which are fixed to the front and rear rods are, of course, oppositely directed, that is, the said links are directed toward the front and rear of the supporting frame. 1

The bottom for the seat cushion frame is also preferably constructed of a; tube or rod and is of a rectangular formation and is disposed above the bottom of the supporting frame. The bottom cushion supporting frame is indicated by the numeral 20, and the front of this substantially square or rectangular frame is offset from its sides, as indicated by the numeral 21, to prevent the same contacting with the uprights 4 of the arms 5 of the supporting frame. To the front and to the rear transverse members of the bottom cushion supporting frame there are secured the ends of the oppositely directed pairs of links 19. The longitudinal and transverse membersof the frame 20 have secured thereto the ends of coiled extension springs 22, the said springs being lighter and shorter than those previously described. The springs 22 are arranged on the sides and front and rear of the seat cushion supporting frame 20, preferably diametrically opposite each other and through the inner eye ends of the said springs there are threaded the wire or thong lacing 23 that provides the support proper for the seat cushion.. The members 23 may, however, be soldered to the confronting ends of the springs 22 and in practice this may be found desirable.

Having one of their ends secured to the arms 5 of the supporting frame and their second ends connected to the sides of the seat cushion supporting frame 20 there are coiled expansion springs 24 which help to support the forward portion of the frame 20 from the said arms 5, while the side members of the cushion supporting frame 20, adjacent to their rear ends, have pivotally secured thereto shackles 26, which in turn are pivotally secured to the lower corners of the arched side members 2'7 of the cushion supporting back frame of the improvement. The arched sides of the substantially rectangular back frame 27 have secured thereto the ends of inwardly directed coiled expansion springs 28 which are substantially similar to the springs 22 and the inner eye ends of the springs 28 have threaded therethrough the wire or like thongs 29 that provide the main support for the back cushion of the seat. I

The arms 5 of the main frame are formed with depending portions in the nature of strong fingers 30 and connected to these fingers and likewise connected to the side members of the back cushion supporting frame there are coiled expansion springs 31.

are inwardly arched and have approximately centrally fixed thereto rearwardly extending rods 32. These rods have their rear and free ends fixedly secured to a rod 33 arranged normally between the side members 6 of the back of the main frame 1 and the rod 33, has attached thereto the lower ends of coil springs 34, the upper endsof the said springs being connected to the upper transverse element of the back 7 of the main frame.

The back cushion supporting frame extends a suitable distance above the back of the main frame 1, and between the top of the back cushion supporting frame and the back 7 of the main frame 1 there are attached straps 35.

The tension of springs 34 partly supports the seat bottom cushion supporting frame and causes the back supporting frame to assume and maintain an upright and rear angle position: this, together with the peculiar lever construction for the back cushion frame causes the seated occupants weight to automatically fix the tension which the back cushion supporting frame must have in order to properly support the seated occupant. Starting with an established minimum the maximum back resistance increases in a proportion with the seated occupants weight, and which may conveniently be expressed in the form of a ratio. Said ratio being determined by the load allotted to springs 34; by the lever efliof springs 31 onsaid shackles: by the distribution of the load so that a portion of it falls on the bottom springs and a portion of the same is suspended on springs 34: and by the influence of other factors apparent to one versed in such matters, the vertical movements of the seat bottom in both directions are communicated to and expressed in the back of the seat, so that there exists betweenthe seat bottom and the back of the seat a state of perfect cooperation. The com- I bined effect of shackles 26 and springs 31 permit an independent forward and rearward movement of the back, but prevents an unpleasant rolling motion from being imparted to the said back by the rolling or pitching of the vehicle in which the seat happens to be mounted. The back cushion supporting frame is also aiforded a tilting movement so that it will arrange itself in a manner most conducive for the support and comfort of the seated occupant. Instead of treating the suspending frames and the ballast as separate units the same may be constructed of a material combining the essential qualities of both; i. e..

disturbances emerge from the springs which hold the frames in suspension. It is thus evident that being reduced to a state of impotency before reaching the seated occupant the said vibrationand the like cannot greatly interfere with the comfort of the said seated occupant. Lead shows an unwillingness to react to the aforementioned impulses and as such makes an excellent ballast,

but no doubt other substances which serve the- The sides of the back cushion supporting frame purpose as well or even better may be found. The main springs vary in length from 6 to 8 in. or more, diam. from 1 in. to 1 in., ga. 13 to 12. These specifications are subject to wide variations because the qualities which determine the usefulness of springs differ greatly as do the load demands. For the same reason the number of springs to be used for a certain job cannot be specified in advance. These details must be left to the manufacturer. In order to be perfectly non synchronized when in operation the springs should at least have a slight variation in their length, mass, and tension. In an automobile adaptation it may also be advisable to cover one or both of the seat cushion frames witha more rigid material like leather, a strong fabric or the like and to increase the tension ratio by throwing a greater portion of the passenger weight on springs 34, in which case it may also be necessary to increase the pitch or angle of. the seatbottom supporting frame so 'as to keep the correct sitting position. If the seat is to have a capacity of more than one occupant, the back cushion supporting frame thereof may be designed as a; unit or in a number of independent or partially independent sections corresponding to the number of intended occupants: In this case each section may be fastened to the bottom supporting frame 20 by means of short straps, allowing sufficient clearance between the frames so that they are not in actual contact and there'is no interference or crowding. Instead of attaching springs 31 to frame 27 the same may be attached to the upper portion of the shackles, or the spring element in some other form may be constructed integrally with the said shackles. It is understood, of course, that portions or all of the seatsupporting frames may be an actual part of the vehicle instead of separate units as herein treated. Because of the absence of the customary vibration and shock from the seat and back it is not necessary for the comfort of the passengers to cover the said seat with deep and soft upholstery: a simple mat filled with hair, cotton, fibre or the like serves the purpose. Said mat may be constructed in one piece to cover both the seat and the back frame and fastened in such a way as to be readily detached for cleaning or replace ment. Because the seat is not necessarily encumbered with heavy cushions, it is cool and sanitary. Contrasted to the bobbing fish-cork behavior of the passenger on the seats in common use, my seat does not permit every quick move- --ment to be imparted to the seat occupant. In

response to shocks and the like it behaves in a most unresponsive manner, and through its yieldability in all directions permits a minimum of interference with the even and steady momentum of the passengen'so that the same experikeel.

Having described the invention, I claim:

1. A shock absorbing seatcomprising a sup! 1.1tshockab'ecrbingseatoohprisingaamposting frame that includes a bottom, aback andarmebetweenthebottcmandbachaweightedpiate-oentrally arrangedin thebottomframe, coiledspsingsonthebottomframeoonneetedto andoentralisingandsupportingtheweighted -plate.androdsextendingfromtheendsofthe -tions between the top of the back of the supences a feeling of riding, as it were, on an even plate, a cushion frame including a bottom and a back, links between the rods and the bottomcushion frame, suspending springs between the arms of the supporting frame and the bottom of the cushion frame, a link connection between the bottom of the cushion frame and the back thereof, yieldable supporting means for the back of the cushion frame supported by the back of the supporting frame, and adjustable strap connecporting frame and the back of the cushion frame and springs influencing the bottom of the back of the cushioning frame toward the bottom of said cushioning frame.

3. A'shock absorbing seat comprising a frame which includes sides and a back, a bottom cushion supporting frame and a back cushion supporting frame, a plurality of longitudinal and'transverse coiled springs connected to the bottom cushion supporting frame, thongs threaded through the confronting ends of the springs and secured to the end springs, coil springs on the sides of the back cushion supporting frame, a thong threaded through these springs and secured to the end springs, tension means suspended from the back of the frame for the back cushion supporting. frame, connections between said tension means, the top of the back or the main frame'and the back cushion supporting frame, a shackle connection .between the lower ends of'the back cushion supporting frame and the bottom cushion supporting frame, suspending springs for the bottom cushion frame connected to the sides of the main frame, and coiled springs connected to the back cushion supporting frame and to the sides of the main frame for urging the lower portion of the back cushion supporting frame away from the back of the main frame.

4. A shock absorbing seat comprising a frame which includes sides and a back, a bottom cushion supporting frame and a back cushion supporting frame, a plurality of longitudinal and transverse coiled springs connected to the bottom cushion supporting frame, thongs threaded through the confronting ends of the springs and secured to the end springs, coil springs on the sides of the back cushion supporting frame,

a thong threaded through these springs and secured to the end springs, tension means suspended from the back of .-the frame for the back 25 cushion supporting frame, connections between said tension means, the top of the back or the main frame and the back cushion supporting frame, a shackle, connection between the lower ends of .the back cushion supporting frame and the bottom cushion supporting frame, suspending springs for the bottom cushion frame com nected to the sides of the .main frame, and coiled springs connected to the back cushion supportingframe and tothesidesofthemainframe fosurgingthelowerportionofthebackcushion supporting frame away from the back of the 

